US20080170150A1 - Image pickup apparatus - Google Patents
Image pickup apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- US20080170150A1 US20080170150A1 US11/967,571 US96757107A US2008170150A1 US 20080170150 A1 US20080170150 A1 US 20080170150A1 US 96757107 A US96757107 A US 96757107A US 2008170150 A1 US2008170150 A1 US 2008170150A1
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- image
- light
- finder
- eye
- display
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
- H04N23/50—Constructional details
- H04N23/53—Constructional details of electronic viewfinders, e.g. rotatable or detachable
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
- H04N23/60—Control of cameras or camera modules
- H04N23/63—Control of cameras or camera modules by using electronic viewfinders
Definitions
- the present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application JP 2007-005958 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Jan. 15, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- the present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus including an optical finder function and an electronic finder function.
- digital single-lens reflex cameras In general, when using digital single-lens reflex cameras, users view a subject through an optical finder. However, some digital single-lens reflex cameras provide an electronic finder function by means of which a moving subject is displayed on a monitor before an image of the subject is actually recorded.
- an electronic finder When using such an electronic finder, the photographer's eye is positioned away from a finder window of the optical finder. Accordingly, under a strong light source, such as the sun, an amount of light entering the finder window significantly increases. Thus, a photo-taking optical system is affected by light entering the finder window, and therefore, the quality of a captured image disadvantageously deteriorates.
- an eyepiece shutter that can block ambient light from entering the finder window may be disposed in the vicinity of the finder window.
- a single-lens reflex camera described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-16485 blocks entrance of ambient light by closing the eyepiece shutter simultaneously when a user manually switches to using an electronic finder.
- a single-lens reflex camera described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-147602 includes an eye proximity detecting unit for detecting proximity of the eye of a photographer to the finder window.
- the eye proximity detecting unit detects that the eye is not in proximity to the finder window due to remote-control photography or self-timer shooting, the eyepiece shutter is automatically closed so as to block external light from entering the camera.
- the eyepiece shutter is automatically closed during remote photography or self-timer photography in which the eye proximity detecting unit detects that the eye is not in proximity to the finder window.
- the camera is configured to be a film camera and does not have an electronic finder function. Accordingly, the camera cannot close the eyepiece shutter to block external light from entering through the finder window when an electronic finder is used and when the eye is detected to be not in proximity to the finder window.
- the camera cannot turn off the monitor so as to appropriately save power.
- the present invention provides an image pickup apparatus that reduces user effort in switching between an optical finder and an electronic finder, that appropriately reduces power consumption, and that reliably blocks external light from entering through a finder window.
- an image pickup apparatus includes (a) image pickup means for generating an image signal associated with a subject optical image that has passed through a predetermined photo-taking optical system, (b) display means capable of being switched between a display mode and a non-display mode, (c) electronic finder means for causing the display means to display a preview image on the basis of image signals sequentially generated by the image pickup means before the image is actually recorded, (d) optical finder means for leading the subject optical image that has passed through the predetermined photo-taking optical system to a finder window, (e) eye proximity detecting means for detecting proximity of the eye to the finder window, (f) shutter means capable of being switched between a light-blocking mode and a non-light-blocking mode, where the shutter means blocks an external light ray from entering the image pickup apparatus through the finder window when in the light-blocking mode and allows an external light ray to enter the image pickup apparatus through the finder window when in the non-light-blocking mode, (g) first control means
- the image pickup apparatus when the eye proximity detecting means detects proximity of the eye to the finder window, the image pickup apparatus causes the display means to enter a non-display mode.
- the image pickup apparatus causes the shutter means that can switch between a light-blocking mode and a non-light-blocking mode to enter the non-light-blocking mode.
- the light-blocking mode external light is blocked from entering the image pickup apparatus through the finder window of the optical finder.
- the non-light-blocking mode external light is not blocked.
- a subject optical image that has passed through a predetermined photo-taking optical system is led to the finder window.
- the image pickup apparatus when the eye proximity detecting means does not detect proximity of the eye to the finder window, the image pickup apparatus causes the shutter means to enter the light-blocking mode, and causes the display means to enter the display mode.
- the display means displays a preview image on the basis of image signals sequentially generated by the image pickup means for receiving the subject optical image that has passed through the predetermined photo-taking optical system before one of the images is actually recorded.
- the image pickup apparatus can reduce user effort in switching between the optical finder and the electronic finder, appropriately reduce power consumption, and reliably block external light from entering through the finder window.
- FIG. 1 is a front external view of an image pickup apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present embodiment
- FIG. 2 is a rear external view of the image pickup apparatus shown in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 illustrates a principle of detecting proximity of the eye to a finder window in an eye proximity detecting unit
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional structure of the image pickup apparatus
- FIG. 5 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using an optical finder
- FIG. 6 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using an electronic finder
- FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by the image pickup apparatus
- FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by an image pickup apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of an eyepiece shutter according to a modification of the present invention.
- FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary external structure of an image pickup apparatus 1 A according to a first exemplary embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 1 is a front external view of the image pickup apparatus 1 A. FIG. 2 is a rear external view of the image pickup apparatus 1 A.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A is configured to be a lens-exchangeable digital single-lens reflex camera.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A includes a camera body 2 .
- An exchangeable photo-taking lens unit (an interchangeable lens) 3 is removably mounted on the camera body 2 .
- the photo-taking lens unit 3 includes a lens barrel 36 , which includes a lens group 37 (refer to FIGS. 4 and 5 ) mounted in the lens barrel 36 and an aperture diaphragm.
- the lens group 37 (a photo-taking optical system) includes a focus lens. The focus position is changed by moving the focus lens along a light axis.
- the camera body 2 includes a ring-shaped mount unit Mt at substantially the center portion thereof.
- the photo-taking lens unit 3 is mounted on the mount unit Mt.
- the camera body 2 further includes a lens release button 89 in the vicinity of the mount unit Mt. The lens release button 89 is used for dismounting the photo-taking lens unit 3 .
- the camera body 2 includes a mode setting dial 82 disposed at the front upper left corner and a control value setting dial 86 disposed at the front upper right corner.
- a setting operation a switching operation
- the setting operations include shooting mode setting (e.g., selecting of a portrait mode, a landscape mode, or a full-auto mode), playback mode setting for playing back a captured image, and communication mode setting with an external device.
- shooting mode setting e.g., selecting of a portrait mode, a landscape mode, or a full-auto mode
- playback mode setting for playing back a captured image
- communication mode setting with an external device e.g., communication mode setting with an external device.
- the control value setting dial 86 e.g., a control parameter for the shooting mode settings can be set.
- the camera body 2 includes a grip 14 at front left end thereof.
- the grip 14 allows a photographer to firmly hold the image pickup apparatus 1 A.
- the camera body 2 further includes a release button 11 on the upper surface of the grip 14 used for instructing the image pickup apparatus 1 A to start exposure.
- a battery compartment and a card compartment are provided inside the grip 11 .
- the battery compartment can contain a battery (e.g., four AA size batteries) serving as a power supply of the camera.
- the card compartment can removably hold a memory card 90 (refer to FIG. 4 ) for recording image data of a captured image.
- the release button 11 can detect whether it is pressed halfway down (an S1 state) or fully down (an S2 state).
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A prepares for acquiring a recorded still image of a subject (an image to be actually recorded). Examples of the preparation include an autofocus (AF) control operation and an auto exposure (AE) control operation.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A performs an image capturing operation of the image to be actually recorded.
- the image capturing operation is a series of operations including an exposure operation of the subject image (an optical image of the subject) performed using an image sensor 5 (described below) and a predetermined image processing operation on an image signal acquired through the exposure operation.
- the camera body 2 further includes a finder window (an eyepiece window) 10 at substantially the top center of the rear surface.
- a finder window 10 an eyepiece window
- the photographer can view the optical image of a subject led by the photo-taking lens unit 3 to determine a composition. That is, by using an optical finder for leading a subject image that has passed through the lens group 37 (refer to FIG. 5 ) to the finder window 10 , the photographer can determine a composition. This operation is described in more detail below.
- the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A includes an infrared light-emitting diode (LED) 151 and a light detecting sensor 152 . As shown in FIG. 3 , infrared light IR is emitted from the light projection LED 151 and is reflected off an eye Ey of the photographer. By detecting the reflected light using the light detecting sensor 152 , whether the eye Ey of the photographer is in proximity to the finder window 10 (eye proximity detection) can be detected.
- LED infrared light-emitting diode
- the photographer can determine the composition using a live view image (a preview image) displayed on a rear monitor 12 of the image pickup apparatus 1 A before actually recording an image. This operation is described in more detail below.
- a switch between the composition operation using a live view display (an electronic finder) and the composition operation using the optical finder is automatically performed in accordance with whether or not the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A detects that a user's eye is in proximity to the finder window 10 .
- the camera body 2 further includes the rear monitor 12 on the rear surface at substantially the center thereof.
- the rear monitor 12 includes, for example, a color liquid crystal display (LCD).
- the display of the rear monitor 12 can be turned on (a display mode) and off (a non-display mode).
- the rear monitor 12 can display a menu screen used for setting, for example, shooting conditions.
- the rear monitor 12 can further play back and display a captured image recorded in the memory card 90 when the image pickup apparatus 1 A is in a playback mode.
- the rear monitor 12 can display a live view on the basis of a plurality of time-series images (i.e., a moving image) captured by an image sensor 7 (described below).
- a main switch 81 is provided at the upper left corner of the rear monitor 12 .
- the main switch 81 is a dual contact slide switch that slides in a horizontal direction. When the main switch 81 is set to an “OFF” position on the left, the image pickup apparatus 1 A is powered off. In contrast, when the main switch 81 is set to an “ON” position on the right, the image pickup apparatus 1 A is powered on.
- a direction selection key 84 is provided on the right of the rear monitor 12 .
- the direction selection key 84 includes a circular operation button.
- the direction selection key 84 can detect a push operation on each of upper, lower, left, and right portions of the circular operation button.
- the direction selection key 84 can further detect a push operation on each of upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left portions of the circular operation button.
- the direction selection key 84 includes a push button at the center thereof and can detect a push operation on the center push button in addition to the push operations on the above-described eight portions.
- a setting button group 83 including a plurality of buttons used for, for example, setting the menu screen and deleting an image is disposed on the left of the rear monitor 12 .
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional structure of the image pickup apparatus 1 A.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A includes an operation unit 80 , a global control unit 101 A, a focus control unit 121 , a mirror control unit 122 , a shutter control unit 123 , a timing control unit 124 , and a digital signal processing circuit 50 .
- the operation unit 80 includes a variety of buttons and switches, one of which is the release button 11 (refer to FIG. 1 ). In response to a user input operation on the operation unit 80 , the global control unit 101 A performs the corresponding operation.
- the global control unit 101 A includes a microcomputer, which includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and a read-only memory (ROM).
- the global control unit 101 A achieves a variety of features by reading out a program stored in the ROM and executing the program using the CPU.
- the global control unit 101 A performs a focus control operation for controlling the position of the focus lens in cooperation with an AF module 20 and the focus control unit 121 .
- the global control unit 101 A performs an AF operation using the focus control unit 121 in accordance with a focusing state of a subject detected by the AF module 20 .
- the AF module 20 can detect the focusing state of the subject using the light ray emitted from the subject and led by the mirror mechanism 6 and using a focusing state detection method, such as a phase difference method.
- the focus control unit 121 generates a control signal on the basis of a signal input from the global control unit 101 A so as to drive a motor M 1 . In this way, the focus control unit 121 performs control so as to move the focus lens included in the lens group 37 of the photo-taking lens unit 3 .
- the position of the focus lens is detected by a lens position detecting unit 39 of the photo-taking lens unit 3 .
- Data indicating the position of the focus lens is delivered to the global control unit 101 A.
- the focus control unit 121 and the global control unit 101 A control the movement of the focus lens in a light axis direction.
- the mirror control unit 122 controls switch between a state (a mirror up state) in which a mirror mechanism 6 is positioned away from a light path and a state (a mirror down state) in which the mirror mechanism 6 blocks the light path.
- the mirror control unit 122 generates a control signal on the basis of a signal input from the global control unit 101 A so as to drive a motor M 2 . In this way, the mirror control unit 122 switches between the mirror up state and the mirror down state.
- the shutter control unit 123 generates a control signal on the basis of a signal input from the global control unit 101 A so as to drive a motor M 3 . In this way, the shutter control unit 123 opens and closes a shutter 4 .
- the timing control unit 124 controls a variety of timings relating to the image sensor 5 .
- the image sensor 5 photoelectrically converts the optical image of a subject to an electrical signal so as to generate an image signal to be recorded (a recording image signal). That is, the image sensor 5 is an image sensor for acquiring an image signal to be recorded.
- the image sensor 5 In response to drive control signals (an accumulation start signal and an accumulation end signal) input from the timing control unit 124 , the image sensor 5 performs an exposure operation (an electrical charge accumulation operation through photoelectrical conversion) of a subject image formed on a light receiving surface so as to generate an image signal associated with the subject image. In addition, in response to a readout control signal input from the timing control unit 124 , the image sensor 5 outputs the image signal to a signal processing unit 51 . A timing signal (a synchronization signal) output from the timing control unit 124 is input to the signal processing unit 51 and an analog/digital (A/D) conversion circuit 52 .
- a timing signal (a synchronization signal) output from the timing control unit 124 is input to the signal processing unit 51 and an analog/digital (A/D) conversion circuit 52 .
- the signal processing unit 51 performs predetermined analog signal processing on the image signal acquired by the image sensor 5 . After the image signal is subjected to the predetermined analog signal processing, the image signal is converted to digital image data (image data) by the A/D conversion circuit 52 . The image data is input to a digital signal processing circuit 50 .
- the digital signal processing circuit 50 performs digital signal processing on the image data input from the A/D conversion circuit 52 so as to generate image data associated with the captured image.
- the digital signal processing circuit 50 includes a black level correction circuit 53 , a white balance (WB) correction circuit 54 , a y correction circuit 55 , and an image memory 56 .
- WB white balance
- the black level correction circuit 53 corrects the black level of each of the pixel data items of the image data output from the A/D conversion circuit 52 to a reference black level.
- the WB correction circuit 54 controls the white balance of the image.
- the y correction circuit 55 controls the gradation characteristic of the captured image.
- the image memory 56 is a high-speed image memory that temporarily stores the generated image data.
- the image memory 56 has a memory capacity so as to store image data for a plurality of frames.
- the image data temporarily stored in the image memory 56 is appropriately subjected to image processing (e.g., a compression process) by the global control unit 101 A. Thereafter, the image data is stored in the memory card 90 via a card interface (I/F) 132 .
- image processing e.g., a compression process
- the image data temporarily stored in the image memory 56 is transferred to a VRAM 131 by the global control unit 101 A as needed.
- an image is displayed on the rear monitor 12 on the basis of the image data.
- a display function for a user to check the captured image can be achieved (after-view), and a display function for playing back a recorded image can be achieved.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A further includes an image sensor 7 (refer to FIG. 4 ) in addition to the image sensor 5 .
- the image sensor 7 serves as an image sensor for capturing a live view image for the electronic finder. That is, the image sensor 7 generates an image signal relating to a subject optical image that passed through the lens group (the photo-taking optical system) 37 and reflected off a main mirror 61 . Thus, the image sensor 7 causes a rear monitor 12 A to display a live view on the basis of the image signal of the subject sequentially generated by the image sensor 7 . In this way, the electronic finder function of the image pickup apparatus 1 A can be achieved.
- the image sensor 7 has a configuration similar to that of the image sensor 5 . However, the image sensor 7 only needs the resolution sufficient for generating an image signal (a moving image) for a live view. Therefore, in general, the number of pixels of the image sensor 7 is lower than that of the image sensor 5 .
- Image processing similar to that applied to the image signal acquired by the image sensor 5 is performed on the image signal acquired by the image sensor 7 . That is, the image signal acquired by the image sensor 7 is subjected to predetermined signal processing by the signal processing unit 51 . Thereafter, the image signal is converted to a digital signal by the A/D conversion circuit 52 and is subjected to predetermined image processing by the digital signal processing circuit 50 . The image signal is then stored in the image memory 56 .
- time-series image data items acquired by the image sensor 7 and stored in the image memory 56 are sequentially sent to the VRAM 131 by the global control unit 101 A.
- an image is displayed on the rear monitor 12 on the basis of the time-series image data items.
- a moving image display (a live view display) used for determining the composition can be achieved.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A further includes a communication I/F 133 so as to communicate data with an apparatus (e.g., a personal computer) that is connected to the communication I/F 133 .
- an apparatus e.g., a personal computer
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A further includes a flash 41 , a flash control circuit 42 , and an AF-assist illuminator 43 .
- the flash 41 is a light source used when a subject is not sufficiently luminated.
- the use of the flash 41 and the period of time of flash lighting are controlled by the flash control circuit 42 and the global control unit 101 A.
- the AF-assist illuminator 43 is an auxiliary light source used for the AF operation.
- the use of the AF-assist illuminator 43 and the period of time of AF-assist lighting are controlled by the global control unit 101 A.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A further includes an eyepiece shutter 16 , a motor 17 , and an eyepiece shutter driving circuit 18 .
- the eyepiece shutter 16 can block the light path of a finder optical system disposed inside the camera body 2 from the finder window 10 .
- the eyepiece shutter 16 is described in more detail below.
- the motor 17 provides a driving force for opening and closing the eyepiece shutter 16 .
- the eyepiece shutter driving circuit 18 supplies a driving electrical power to the motor 17 so as to control the motor 17 .
- a photographer can determine a composition by using the optical finder (also referred to as an “optical viewfinder (OVF)”) including the finder optical system or using a live view image displayed on the rear monitor 12 (a composition using an electronic finder).
- OVF optical viewfinder
- one of a composition determination using the optical finder and a composition determination using the electronic finder is automatically selected.
- the workload of the photographer can be reduced when the photographer selects one of the optical finder and the electronic finder.
- FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the image pickup apparatus 1 A. More specifically, FIG. 5 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using the optical finder. FIG. 6 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using the electronic finder.
- the mirror mechanism 6 is located in an optical path (photo-taking optical path) extending from the photo-taking lens unit 3 to the image sensor 5 .
- the mirror mechanism 6 includes the main mirror 61 (a primary reflecting surface) that reflects light traveling from the photo-taking optical system upwards.
- part or the entirety of the main mirror 61 is a half-mirror.
- the main mirror 61 allows part of the light traveling from the photo-taking optical system to pass therethrough.
- the mirror mechanism 6 includes a sub-mirror 62 (a secondary reflecting surface) for reflecting light that has passed through the main mirror 61 downwards. The light reflected off the sub-mirror 62 downwards is led towards the AF module 20 and is made incident on the AF module 20 .
- the light is used for an AF operation using a phase difference method.
- the mirror mechanism 6 is disposed so that the mirror mechanism 6 is in a mirror down state until the release button 11 enters the S2 state in which the release button 11 is pressed fully down, that is, while a composition is decided upon (refer to FIGS. 5 and 6 ).
- a subject image traveling from the photo-taking lens unit 3 is reflected off the main mirror 61 upwards and is made incident on a pentamirror 65 as an observation light ray.
- the pentamirror 65 includes a plurality of mirrors (reflecting surfaces) so as to control the orientation of the subject image.
- the direction of the observation light ray is determined depending on which one of the above-described two methods (i.e., an optical finder method and an electronic finder method) is selected for determining a composition. This is described in more detail below.
- the mirror mechanism 6 is driven so as to enter a mirror up state.
- an exposure operation is started.
- the operation i.e., the exposure operation
- a still image for recording also referred to as an “image to be actually captured”
- an optical finder method i.e., an optical finder method and an electronic finder method
- the observation light ray which is a light ray traveling from the lens group (the photo-taking optical system) 37 and is reflected off the main mirror (the main reflecting surface) 61 , can be led to the finder window 10 using a finder optical system 60 .
- the finder optical system 60 includes the main mirror 61 , the pentamirror 65 , and the eyepiece lens 67 .
- the light traveling from the photo-taking lens unit 3 is reflected off the main mirror 61 upwards. Thereafter, the light is focused on a focusing glass 63 and passes through the focusing glass 63 . Subsequently, the direction of the light that has passed through the focusing glass 63 is further changed by the pentamirror 65 and passes through the eyepiece lens 67 . The light then travels toward the finder window 10 (refer to a light path PA shown in FIG. 5 ). In this way, the subject image passes through the finder window 10 and reaches the eye of the photographer (an observer). Thus, the photographer views the object image. That is, by viewing through the finder window 10 , the photographer can recognize the object image.
- the pentamirror 65 includes two mirrors (dach mirrors) 65 a and 65 b that form a delta shape, a surface 65 c fixed to the dach mirrors (dach surface) 65 a and 65 b , and a mirror (a reflecting surface) 65 e .
- the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b are formed using plastic molding as an integrated part 65 d having a delta shape.
- the light ray that is reflected off the main mirror 61 upward is reflected by the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b .
- the light ray is horizontally reversed.
- the light ray is reflected off the mirror 65 e so as to be vertically reversed.
- the light ray reaches the eye of the photographer.
- the optical image that is horizontally and vertically reversed in the photo-taking lens unit 3 is further horizontally and vertically reversed by the pentamirror 65 .
- the photographer can view the subject image having the horizontal and vertical orientations the same as those of the original subject.
- the light ray that passed through the main mirror 61 is reflected off the sub-mirror 62 downwards and enters the AF module 20 .
- the AF module 20 and the focus control unit 121 perform an AF operation using the light ray traveling via the main mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62 .
- the main mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62 of the mirror mechanism 6 are disposed in the light path of a subject image traveling from the photo-taking lens unit 3 .
- the light traveling from the photo-taking lens unit 3 is reflected off the main mirror 61 upwards, and is focused on the focusing glass 63 , and then passes through the focusing glass 63 .
- the direction of the light ray that has passed through the focusing glass 63 is further changed by the pentamirror 65 .
- the light ray passes through an image forming lens 69 (an image forming optical system) and forms an image on an imaging surface of the image sensor 7 again (refer to an light path PB shown in FIG. 6 ).
- the light ray reflected off the main mirror 61 travels upwards and is reflected by the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b .
- the light ray is horizontally reversed and continues to travel.
- the light ray is reflected off the mirror 65 e so as to be vertically reversed.
- the light ray is then horizontally and vertically reversed by the image forming lens 69 .
- the light ray reaches the image sensor 7 .
- the angle of the mirror 65 e (with respect to the camera body 2 ) is changed, as shown in FIG. 6 . That is, from the position shown in FIG. 5 , the mirror 65 e is rotated about an axis AX 1 located at the lower end of mirror 65 e in a direction indicated by an arrow AR 1 at a predetermined angle ⁇ . In this case, the mirror 65 e can be rotated about the axis AX 1 by an actuator (e.g., a motor) (not shown).
- an actuator e.g., a motor
- the mirror 65 e When the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A detects proximity of the eye to the finder window 10 , the mirror 65 e is moved to a position Ta at which the upper end of the mirror 65 e is in contact with the end of the surface 65 c (refer to FIG. 5 ). In contrast, when the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A does not detect proximity of the eye to the finder window 10 , the mirror 65 e is moved to a position Tb at which the upper end of the mirror 65 e is separated from the end of the surface 65 c by a predetermined distance (refer to FIG. 6 ).
- the mirror 65 e has two positions and switches between the two positions: the position Ta (a first position) at which the light ray (the observation light ray) reflected off the main mirror 61 is reflected towards the finder window 10 , as shown in FIG. 5 , and the position Tb (a second position) at which the observation light ray is reflected towards the image sensor 7 , as shown in FIG. 6 .
- the reflection angle of the light ray (the observation light ray) can be changed, and therefore, the traveling path of the light ray reflected off the mirror 65 e can be changed. More specifically, as compared with FIG. 5 , an incident angle ⁇ 1 of the light ray on the mirror 65 e is relatively small. Therefore, a reflection angle ⁇ 2 of the light ray on the mirror 65 e is relatively small. As a result, the direction of the light ray reflected off the mirror 65 e is changed upwards so that the light path towards the eyepiece lens 67 is changed to the light path towards the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b .
- the light ray passes through the image forming lens 69 and reaches the image sensor 7 .
- the image forming lens 69 and the image sensor 7 are disposed above the eyepiece lens 67 so as not to block the light ray traveling from the mirror 65 e to the eyepiece lens 67 .
- an angle ⁇ which is a half of the angle ⁇
- a relatively small rotation angle of the mirror 65 e can relatively largely change the direction of the light ray reflected off the mirror 65 e .
- the mirror 65 e is disposed so as to be separated from the image sensor 7 by a relatively large distance.
- the two light rays reflected off the mirror 65 e can be reliably led to the eyepiece lens 67 and the image sensor 7 which are separated from each other. That is, by slightly changing the rotation angle of the mirror 65 e , the light ray reflected off the mirror 65 e can be selectively and reliably led to one of the two light paths. Accordingly, an increase in a space required for the rotation of the mirror 65 e can be minimized.
- the image sensor 7 generates a live view on the basis of the subject image that is reflected by the mirror 65 e , passes through the image forming lens 69 , and reaches the image sensor 7 . More specifically, the image sensor 7 that receives the light ray (the observation light ray) reflected off the main mirror 61 sequentially generates a plurality of image signals at small intervals (e.g., 1/60 sec). The acquired time-series image signals are sequentially displayed on the rear monitor 12 as a live view. Thus, the photographer can determine a composition while viewing the moving image (the live view image) displayed on the rear monitor 12 .
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A includes the eyepiece shutter (shutter means) 16 between the finder window 10 and the eyepiece lens 67 .
- the eyepiece shutter 16 can switch between a light blocking state in which external light entering the image pickup apparatus 1 A through the finder window 10 is blocked and a non-blocking state in which the external light is not blocked. In this way, by letting the eyepiece shutter 16 enter a closed state Qb (refer to FIG. 6 ) while the live view is displayed (the electronic finder is in use), external light can be blocked from entering through the finder window 10 .
- an AF operation is performed using light made incident on the AF module 20 by the main mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62 .
- the direction of an observation light ray reflected off the mirror 65 e is switched between the light path PA (refer to FIG. 5 ) and the light path PB (refer to FIG. 6 ) by changing the reflection angle at the mirror 65 e .
- the light path PA is directed from the mirror 65 e to the eyepiece lens 67 and the finder window 10
- the light path PB is directed from the mirror 65 e to the image forming lens 69 and the image sensor 7 .
- the direction of an observation light ray can be switched between the first light path PA in which a light ray is reflected off the mirror 65 e towards the finder window 10 and the second light path PB in which a light ray is reflected off the mirror 65 e towards the image sensor 7 .
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A among the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b and the mirror 65 e of the pentamirror 65 , one of the reflecting surfaces (the mirror 65 e ) is moved so that the reflection angle is changed, whereas the other reflecting surfaces (dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b ) are stationary. That is, by driving only the mirror 65 e among the plurality of reflecting surfaces so that the direction of the observation light ray is changed, the number of driving mechanisms can be reduced, and therefore, a compact configuration can be achieved.
- the reflection angle at the mirror 65 e which is a reflecting surface other than the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b among a plurality of reflecting surfaces included in the pentamirror 65 of the finder optical system 60 , is changed in order to change the direction of the observation light ray. Accordingly, the direction of the observation light ray can be easily changed, as compared with the case where the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b are driven.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A having such a configuration determines that a photographer desires to determine a composition using the electronic finder if the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A does not detect proximity of the eye to the finder window 10 . At that time, the image pickup apparatus 1 A sets the mirror 65 e to the position Tb shown in FIG. 6 to select the light path PB directed to the image sensor 7 . At the same time, the image pickup apparatus 1 A turns on the rear monitor 12 (a display mode) so that a live view is displayed on the basis of an image signal acquired from the image sensor 7 .
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A causes the eyepiece shutter 16 to enter the closed state Qb (refer to FIG. 6 ) in order to block the external light ray from entering through the finder window 10 .
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A determines that a photographer desires to determine a composition using the optical finder if the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A detects proximity of the eye to the finder window 10 . At that time, the image pickup apparatus 1 A sets the mirror 65 e to the position Ta shown in FIG. 5 to select the light path PA directed to the finder window 10 . In this case, the image pickup apparatus 1 A causes the eyepiece shutter 16 , which is in the closed state Qb when proximity of the eye is not detected, to enter an open state Qa (refer to FIG. 5 ) in order to open the light path PA. In addition, the image pickup apparatus 1 A turns off the rear monitor 12 (a non-display mode) which is turned on when proximity of the eye is not detected.
- FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by the image pickup apparatus 1 A and, in particular, an operation performed when a composition is determined.
- the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A determines whether proximity of the eye is detected (step ST 1 ). If proximity of the eye is detected, the process proceeds to step ST 2 . Otherwise, the process proceeds to step ST 4 .
- step ST 2 the image pickup apparatus 1 A causes the eyepiece shutter 16 to enter the open state Qa shown in FIG. 5 . That is, the image pickup apparatus 1 A causes the eyepiece shutter 16 to enter a non-light blocking state so as to open the light path PA directed to the finder window 10 . Thus, the image pickup apparatus 1 A leads a subject optical image that passed through the lens group 37 to the finder window 10 .
- the global control unit 101 A sends a drive control signal to the eyepiece shutter driving circuit 18 . Upon receipt of the drive control signal, the eyepiece shutter driving circuit 18 opens the eyepiece shutter 16 using the motor 17 .
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A causes the mirror (reflecting surface) 65 e to move to the position (the first position) Ta shown in FIG. 5 so that the subject optical image is led from the photo-taking lens unit 3 to the finder window 10 .
- the photographer can check the subject image through the finder window 10 .
- step ST 3 a live view display is turned off. That is, since the photographer determines a composition using the optical finder, the rear monitor 12 that is not used by the photographer is turned off (a non-display mode). Thus, power consumption can be reduced.
- step ST 4 the image pickup apparatus 1 A causes the eyepiece shutter 16 to enter the closed state Qb shown in FIG. 6 . That is, in order to block an external light ray from entering through the finder window 10 , the eyepiece shutter 16 enters a light blocking state.
- the global control unit 101 A sends a drive control signal to the eyepiece shutter driving circuit 18 .
- the eyepiece shutter driving circuit 18 closes the eyepiece shutter 16 using the motor 17 .
- the image pickup apparatus 1 A causes the mirror (reflecting surface) 65 e to move to the position (the second position) Tb shown in FIG. 6 so that the subject optical image is led from the photo-taking lens unit 3 to the image sensor 7 .
- a live view display is turned on. That is, since the photographer desires to determine a composition using the electronic finder, the rear monitor 12 is turned on (a display mode). Thus, a live view display (a preview display) is performed on the basis of image signals sequentially generated by the image sensor 7 .
- the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A detects proximity of the eye to the finder window 10
- the eyepiece shutter 16 is opened and the rear monitor 12 is turned off.
- the eyepiece shutter 16 is closed in order to block an external light ray from entering through the finder window 10
- the rear monitor 12 is turned on in order to display a live view image.
- the workload of the photographer can be reduced in switching between the optical finder and the electronic finder, and power consumption can be appropriately reduced.
- an external light ray can be reliably blocked from entering through the finder window 10 .
- an image pickup apparatus 1 B has a configuration similar to the image pickup apparatus 1 A shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , and 4 .
- the configurations of an eye proximity detecting unit, a rear monitor, and a global control unit are different from those of the image pickup apparatus 1 A.
- An eye proximity detecting unit 15 B, a rear monitor 12 B, and a global control unit 101 B of the image pickup apparatus 1 B, which are different from those of the image pickup apparatus 1 A, are sequentially described below.
- a light detecting sensor 152 can detect the amount of light in the vicinity of the light detecting sensor 152 (around the finder window 10 ) in addition to the amount of light required for detecting proximity of the eye.
- the rear monitor 12 B includes a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display. That is, the rear monitor 12 B can be used as a reflective liquid crystal display that displays an image using reflection of external light as a light source with a backlight turned off. Alternatively, the rear monitor 12 B can be used as a transmissive liquid crystal display that turns on a backlight serving as a light source and displays an image using illumination of the backlight from the rear.
- a predetermined threshold value a predetermined amount of light
- the global control unit 101 B stores, in a ROM, a program for performing the operation of the image pickup apparatus 1 B described below.
- FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by the image pickup apparatus 1 B and, in particular, an operation performed when a composition is determined.
- steps ST 11 to ST 15 are similar to those in steps ST 1 to ST 5 of the flow chart shown in FIG. 7 .
- step ST 16 it is determined whether an amount of light in the surrounding area detected by the light detecting sensor 152 of the eye proximity detecting unit 15 B is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold value Lm. That is, it is determined whether the surrounding area of the image pickup apparatus 1 B (on the rear side of the image pickup apparatus 1 B) is bright or dark. If the amount of light in the surrounding area is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold value Lm, and therefore, the surrounding area is bright, the process proceeds to step ST 17 . However, if the amount of light in the surrounding area is lower than the predetermined threshold value Lm, and therefore, the surrounding area is dark, the process proceeds to step ST 19 .
- steps ST 17 and ST 18 the rear monitor 12 B is switched to the reflective liquid crystal display, and the backlight of the rear monitor 12 B is turned off.
- steps ST 19 and ST 20 the rear monitor 12 B is switched to the transmissive liquid crystal display, and the backlight of the rear monitor 12 B is turned on.
- the above-described operation performed by the image pickup apparatus 1 B provides an advantage that is the same as that of the first exemplary embodiment.
- the image pickup apparatus 1 B displays a live view image and an amount of light in the surrounding area detected by the light detecting sensor 152 of the eye proximity detecting unit 15 B is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold value Lm (in a bright condition)
- the rear monitor 12 B is switched to the reflective liquid crystal display, and the backlight of the rear monitor 12 B is turned off.
- the rear monitor 12 B is switched to the transmissive liquid crystal display, and the backlight of the rear monitor 12 B is turned on. Therefore, power consumption is optimally reduced.
- the eyepiece shutters of the foregoing exemplary embodiments are not limited to mechanically open and closed shutters as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 .
- a liquid crystal shutter having the following configuration may be employed.
- FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of an eyepiece shutter 16 A of a modification of the present invention.
- the eyepiece shutter 16 A is a liquid crystal shutter.
- a liquid crystal 163 is confined between two glass pieces 161 and 162 .
- a deflection plate 164 is disposed on the glass piece 162 .
- the eyepiece shutter 16 A having such a configuration of a liquid crystal shutter, when the eye proximity detecting unit 15 A (or 15 B) detects the eye is not in proximity to the finder window, the eyepiece shutter 16 A is closed. Thus, external light entering through the finder window 10 can be blocked.
- the eyepiece shutter may be disposed, for example, outside the finder window 10 .
Abstract
Description
- The present invention contains subject matter related to Japanese Patent Application JP 2007-005958 filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Jan. 15, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus including an optical finder function and an electronic finder function.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- In general, when using digital single-lens reflex cameras, users view a subject through an optical finder. However, some digital single-lens reflex cameras provide an electronic finder function by means of which a moving subject is displayed on a monitor before an image of the subject is actually recorded.
- When using such an electronic finder, the photographer's eye is positioned away from a finder window of the optical finder. Accordingly, under a strong light source, such as the sun, an amount of light entering the finder window significantly increases. Thus, a photo-taking optical system is affected by light entering the finder window, and therefore, the quality of a captured image disadvantageously deteriorates. To solve this problem, an eyepiece shutter that can block ambient light from entering the finder window may be disposed in the vicinity of the finder window.
- For example, a single-lens reflex camera described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-16485 blocks entrance of ambient light by closing the eyepiece shutter simultaneously when a user manually switches to using an electronic finder.
- In addition, a single-lens reflex camera described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-147602 includes an eye proximity detecting unit for detecting proximity of the eye of a photographer to the finder window. When the eye proximity detecting unit detects that the eye is not in proximity to the finder window due to remote-control photography or self-timer shooting, the eyepiece shutter is automatically closed so as to block external light from entering the camera.
- However, in the camera described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-16485, since the eyepiece shutter is closed in synchronization with a manual switch operation performed to switch to the electronic finder, a photographer needs to perform the manual switch operation.
- In contrast, in the camera described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-147602, the eyepiece shutter is automatically closed during remote photography or self-timer photography in which the eye proximity detecting unit detects that the eye is not in proximity to the finder window. However, the camera is configured to be a film camera and does not have an electronic finder function. Accordingly, the camera cannot close the eyepiece shutter to block external light from entering through the finder window when an electronic finder is used and when the eye is detected to be not in proximity to the finder window. In addition, when the optical finder is used and the eye is detected to be in proximity to the finder window, the camera cannot turn off the monitor so as to appropriately save power.
- Accordingly, the present invention provides an image pickup apparatus that reduces user effort in switching between an optical finder and an electronic finder, that appropriately reduces power consumption, and that reliably blocks external light from entering through a finder window.
- According to an embodiment of the present invention, an image pickup apparatus includes (a) image pickup means for generating an image signal associated with a subject optical image that has passed through a predetermined photo-taking optical system, (b) display means capable of being switched between a display mode and a non-display mode, (c) electronic finder means for causing the display means to display a preview image on the basis of image signals sequentially generated by the image pickup means before the image is actually recorded, (d) optical finder means for leading the subject optical image that has passed through the predetermined photo-taking optical system to a finder window, (e) eye proximity detecting means for detecting proximity of the eye to the finder window, (f) shutter means capable of being switched between a light-blocking mode and a non-light-blocking mode, where the shutter means blocks an external light ray from entering the image pickup apparatus through the finder window when in the light-blocking mode and allows an external light ray to enter the image pickup apparatus through the finder window when in the non-light-blocking mode, (g) first control means for switching the display means to the non-display mode and switching the shutter means to the non-light-blocking mode so as to lead the subject optical image to the finder window when the eye proximity detecting means detects proximity of the eye to the finder window, and (h) second control means for switching the shutter means to the light-blocking mode and switching the display means to the display mode so as to display the preview image when the eye proximity detecting means does not detect proximity of the eye to the finder window.
- According to the embodiment of the present invention, when the eye proximity detecting means detects proximity of the eye to the finder window, the image pickup apparatus causes the display means to enter a non-display mode. In addition, the image pickup apparatus causes the shutter means that can switch between a light-blocking mode and a non-light-blocking mode to enter the non-light-blocking mode. In the light-blocking mode, external light is blocked from entering the image pickup apparatus through the finder window of the optical finder. While, in the non-light-blocking mode, external light is not blocked. Thus, a subject optical image that has passed through a predetermined photo-taking optical system is led to the finder window. In contrast, when the eye proximity detecting means does not detect proximity of the eye to the finder window, the image pickup apparatus causes the shutter means to enter the light-blocking mode, and causes the display means to enter the display mode. Thus, the display means displays a preview image on the basis of image signals sequentially generated by the image pickup means for receiving the subject optical image that has passed through the predetermined photo-taking optical system before one of the images is actually recorded. As a result, the image pickup apparatus can reduce user effort in switching between the optical finder and the electronic finder, appropriately reduce power consumption, and reliably block external light from entering through the finder window.
-
FIG. 1 is a front external view of an image pickup apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present embodiment; -
FIG. 2 is a rear external view of the image pickup apparatus shown inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 illustrates a principle of detecting proximity of the eye to a finder window in an eye proximity detecting unit; -
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional structure of the image pickup apparatus; -
FIG. 5 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using an optical finder; -
FIG. 6 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using an electronic finder; -
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by the image pickup apparatus; -
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by an image pickup apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of an eyepiece shutter according to a modification of the present invention. -
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary external structure of animage pickup apparatus 1A according to a first exemplary embodiment. More specifically,FIG. 1 is a front external view of theimage pickup apparatus 1A.FIG. 2 is a rear external view of theimage pickup apparatus 1A. Theimage pickup apparatus 1A is configured to be a lens-exchangeable digital single-lens reflex camera. - As shown in
FIG. 1 , theimage pickup apparatus 1A includes acamera body 2. An exchangeable photo-taking lens unit (an interchangeable lens) 3 is removably mounted on thecamera body 2. - The photo-
taking lens unit 3 includes alens barrel 36, which includes a lens group 37 (refer toFIGS. 4 and 5 ) mounted in thelens barrel 36 and an aperture diaphragm. The lens group 37 (a photo-taking optical system) includes a focus lens. The focus position is changed by moving the focus lens along a light axis. - The
camera body 2 includes a ring-shaped mount unit Mt at substantially the center portion thereof. The photo-takinglens unit 3 is mounted on the mount unit Mt. Thecamera body 2 further includes alens release button 89 in the vicinity of the mount unit Mt. Thelens release button 89 is used for dismounting the photo-takinglens unit 3. - In addition, the
camera body 2 includes amode setting dial 82 disposed at the front upper left corner and a controlvalue setting dial 86 disposed at the front upper right corner. By operating themode setting dial 82, a setting operation (a switching operation) can be performed. Examples of the setting operations include shooting mode setting (e.g., selecting of a portrait mode, a landscape mode, or a full-auto mode), playback mode setting for playing back a captured image, and communication mode setting with an external device. By operating the controlvalue setting dial 86, a control parameter for the shooting mode settings can be set. - Furthermore, the
camera body 2 includes agrip 14 at front left end thereof. Thegrip 14 allows a photographer to firmly hold theimage pickup apparatus 1A. Thecamera body 2 further includes arelease button 11 on the upper surface of thegrip 14 used for instructing theimage pickup apparatus 1A to start exposure. A battery compartment and a card compartment are provided inside thegrip 11. The battery compartment can contain a battery (e.g., four AA size batteries) serving as a power supply of the camera. The card compartment can removably hold a memory card 90 (refer toFIG. 4 ) for recording image data of a captured image. - The
release button 11 can detect whether it is pressed halfway down (an S1 state) or fully down (an S2 state). When therelease button 11 enters the S1 state in which it is pressed halfway down, theimage pickup apparatus 1A prepares for acquiring a recorded still image of a subject (an image to be actually recorded). Examples of the preparation include an autofocus (AF) control operation and an auto exposure (AE) control operation. When therelease button 11 is further pressed down and enters the S2 state, theimage pickup apparatus 1A performs an image capturing operation of the image to be actually recorded. The image capturing operation is a series of operations including an exposure operation of the subject image (an optical image of the subject) performed using an image sensor 5 (described below) and a predetermined image processing operation on an image signal acquired through the exposure operation. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , thecamera body 2 further includes a finder window (an eyepiece window) 10 at substantially the top center of the rear surface. Through thefinder window 10, the photographer can view the optical image of a subject led by the photo-takinglens unit 3 to determine a composition. That is, by using an optical finder for leading a subject image that has passed through the lens group 37 (refer toFIG. 5 ) to thefinder window 10, the photographer can determine a composition. This operation is described in more detail below. - An eye
proximity detecting unit 15A is provided under thefinder window 10. The eyeproximity detecting unit 15A includes an infrared light-emitting diode (LED) 151 and alight detecting sensor 152. As shown inFIG. 3 , infrared light IR is emitted from thelight projection LED 151 and is reflected off an eye Ey of the photographer. By detecting the reflected light using thelight detecting sensor 152, whether the eye Ey of the photographer is in proximity to the finder window 10 (eye proximity detection) can be detected. - Alternatively, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the photographer can determine the composition using a live view image (a preview image) displayed on a
rear monitor 12 of theimage pickup apparatus 1A before actually recording an image. This operation is described in more detail below. A switch between the composition operation using a live view display (an electronic finder) and the composition operation using the optical finder is automatically performed in accordance with whether or not the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A detects that a user's eye is in proximity to thefinder window 10. - As shown in
FIG. 2 , thecamera body 2 further includes therear monitor 12 on the rear surface at substantially the center thereof. Therear monitor 12 includes, for example, a color liquid crystal display (LCD). The display of therear monitor 12 can be turned on (a display mode) and off (a non-display mode). Therear monitor 12 can display a menu screen used for setting, for example, shooting conditions. Therear monitor 12 can further play back and display a captured image recorded in thememory card 90 when theimage pickup apparatus 1A is in a playback mode. Furthermore, therear monitor 12 can display a live view on the basis of a plurality of time-series images (i.e., a moving image) captured by an image sensor 7 (described below). - A
main switch 81 is provided at the upper left corner of therear monitor 12. Themain switch 81 is a dual contact slide switch that slides in a horizontal direction. When themain switch 81 is set to an “OFF” position on the left, theimage pickup apparatus 1A is powered off. In contrast, when themain switch 81 is set to an “ON” position on the right, theimage pickup apparatus 1A is powered on. - A
direction selection key 84 is provided on the right of therear monitor 12. Thedirection selection key 84 includes a circular operation button. The direction selection key 84 can detect a push operation on each of upper, lower, left, and right portions of the circular operation button. The direction selection key 84 can further detect a push operation on each of upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left portions of the circular operation button. Thedirection selection key 84 includes a push button at the center thereof and can detect a push operation on the center push button in addition to the push operations on the above-described eight portions. - A
setting button group 83 including a plurality of buttons used for, for example, setting the menu screen and deleting an image is disposed on the left of therear monitor 12. - Exemplary features of the
image pickup apparatus 1A are briefly described next with reference toFIG. 4 .FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional structure of theimage pickup apparatus 1A. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , theimage pickup apparatus 1A includes anoperation unit 80, aglobal control unit 101A, afocus control unit 121, amirror control unit 122, ashutter control unit 123, atiming control unit 124, and a digitalsignal processing circuit 50. - The
operation unit 80 includes a variety of buttons and switches, one of which is the release button 11 (refer toFIG. 1 ). In response to a user input operation on theoperation unit 80, theglobal control unit 101A performs the corresponding operation. - The
global control unit 101A includes a microcomputer, which includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and a read-only memory (ROM). Theglobal control unit 101A achieves a variety of features by reading out a program stored in the ROM and executing the program using the CPU. For example, theglobal control unit 101A performs a focus control operation for controlling the position of the focus lens in cooperation with anAF module 20 and thefocus control unit 121. In addition, theglobal control unit 101A performs an AF operation using thefocus control unit 121 in accordance with a focusing state of a subject detected by theAF module 20. TheAF module 20 can detect the focusing state of the subject using the light ray emitted from the subject and led by themirror mechanism 6 and using a focusing state detection method, such as a phase difference method. - The
focus control unit 121 generates a control signal on the basis of a signal input from theglobal control unit 101A so as to drive a motor M1. In this way, thefocus control unit 121 performs control so as to move the focus lens included in thelens group 37 of the photo-takinglens unit 3. The position of the focus lens is detected by a lensposition detecting unit 39 of the photo-takinglens unit 3. Data indicating the position of the focus lens is delivered to theglobal control unit 101A. Thus, thefocus control unit 121 and theglobal control unit 101A control the movement of the focus lens in a light axis direction. - The
mirror control unit 122 controls switch between a state (a mirror up state) in which amirror mechanism 6 is positioned away from a light path and a state (a mirror down state) in which themirror mechanism 6 blocks the light path. Themirror control unit 122 generates a control signal on the basis of a signal input from theglobal control unit 101A so as to drive a motor M2. In this way, themirror control unit 122 switches between the mirror up state and the mirror down state. - The
shutter control unit 123 generates a control signal on the basis of a signal input from theglobal control unit 101A so as to drive a motor M3. In this way, theshutter control unit 123 opens and closes ashutter 4. - The
timing control unit 124 controls a variety of timings relating to theimage sensor 5. - The image sensor (hereinafter also referred to as a “CCD sensor” or simply a “CCD”) 5 photoelectrically converts the optical image of a subject to an electrical signal so as to generate an image signal to be recorded (a recording image signal). That is, the
image sensor 5 is an image sensor for acquiring an image signal to be recorded. - In response to drive control signals (an accumulation start signal and an accumulation end signal) input from the
timing control unit 124, theimage sensor 5 performs an exposure operation (an electrical charge accumulation operation through photoelectrical conversion) of a subject image formed on a light receiving surface so as to generate an image signal associated with the subject image. In addition, in response to a readout control signal input from thetiming control unit 124, theimage sensor 5 outputs the image signal to asignal processing unit 51. A timing signal (a synchronization signal) output from thetiming control unit 124 is input to thesignal processing unit 51 and an analog/digital (A/D)conversion circuit 52. - The
signal processing unit 51 performs predetermined analog signal processing on the image signal acquired by theimage sensor 5. After the image signal is subjected to the predetermined analog signal processing, the image signal is converted to digital image data (image data) by the A/D conversion circuit 52. The image data is input to a digitalsignal processing circuit 50. - The digital
signal processing circuit 50 performs digital signal processing on the image data input from the A/D conversion circuit 52 so as to generate image data associated with the captured image. The digitalsignal processing circuit 50 includes a blacklevel correction circuit 53, a white balance (WB)correction circuit 54,a y correction circuit 55, and animage memory 56. - The black
level correction circuit 53 corrects the black level of each of the pixel data items of the image data output from the A/D conversion circuit 52 to a reference black level. TheWB correction circuit 54 controls the white balance of the image. They correction circuit 55 controls the gradation characteristic of the captured image. Theimage memory 56 is a high-speed image memory that temporarily stores the generated image data. Theimage memory 56 has a memory capacity so as to store image data for a plurality of frames. - When an image is recorded, the image data temporarily stored in the
image memory 56 is appropriately subjected to image processing (e.g., a compression process) by theglobal control unit 101A. Thereafter, the image data is stored in thememory card 90 via a card interface (I/F) 132. - In addition, the image data temporarily stored in the
image memory 56 is transferred to aVRAM 131 by theglobal control unit 101A as needed. Thus, an image is displayed on therear monitor 12 on the basis of the image data. In this way, a display function for a user to check the captured image can be achieved (after-view), and a display function for playing back a recorded image can be achieved. - The
image pickup apparatus 1A further includes an image sensor 7 (refer toFIG. 4 ) in addition to theimage sensor 5. Theimage sensor 7 serves as an image sensor for capturing a live view image for the electronic finder. That is, theimage sensor 7 generates an image signal relating to a subject optical image that passed through the lens group (the photo-taking optical system) 37 and reflected off amain mirror 61. Thus, theimage sensor 7 causes arear monitor 12A to display a live view on the basis of the image signal of the subject sequentially generated by theimage sensor 7. In this way, the electronic finder function of theimage pickup apparatus 1A can be achieved. - The
image sensor 7 has a configuration similar to that of theimage sensor 5. However, theimage sensor 7 only needs the resolution sufficient for generating an image signal (a moving image) for a live view. Therefore, in general, the number of pixels of theimage sensor 7 is lower than that of theimage sensor 5. - Image processing similar to that applied to the image signal acquired by the
image sensor 5 is performed on the image signal acquired by theimage sensor 7. That is, the image signal acquired by theimage sensor 7 is subjected to predetermined signal processing by thesignal processing unit 51. Thereafter, the image signal is converted to a digital signal by the A/D conversion circuit 52 and is subjected to predetermined image processing by the digitalsignal processing circuit 50. The image signal is then stored in theimage memory 56. - In addition, the time-series image data items acquired by the
image sensor 7 and stored in theimage memory 56 are sequentially sent to theVRAM 131 by theglobal control unit 101A. Thus, an image is displayed on therear monitor 12 on the basis of the time-series image data items. In this way, a moving image display (a live view display) used for determining the composition can be achieved. - The
image pickup apparatus 1A further includes a communication I/F 133 so as to communicate data with an apparatus (e.g., a personal computer) that is connected to the communication I/F 133. - The
image pickup apparatus 1A further includes aflash 41, aflash control circuit 42, and an AF-assistilluminator 43. Theflash 41 is a light source used when a subject is not sufficiently luminated. The use of theflash 41 and the period of time of flash lighting are controlled by theflash control circuit 42 and theglobal control unit 101A. The AF-assistilluminator 43 is an auxiliary light source used for the AF operation. The use of the AF-assistilluminator 43 and the period of time of AF-assist lighting are controlled by theglobal control unit 101A. - The
image pickup apparatus 1A further includes aneyepiece shutter 16, amotor 17, and an eyepieceshutter driving circuit 18. Theeyepiece shutter 16 can block the light path of a finder optical system disposed inside thecamera body 2 from thefinder window 10. Theeyepiece shutter 16 is described in more detail below. Themotor 17 provides a driving force for opening and closing theeyepiece shutter 16. The eyepieceshutter driving circuit 18 supplies a driving electrical power to themotor 17 so as to control themotor 17. - An exemplary operation of determining a composition (a framing operation) performed by the
image pickup apparatus 1A is described next. As noted above, in theimage pickup apparatus 1A, a photographer can determine a composition by using the optical finder (also referred to as an “optical viewfinder (OVF)”) including the finder optical system or using a live view image displayed on the rear monitor 12 (a composition using an electronic finder). - Depending on proximity of the eye detected by the eye
proximity detecting unit 15A, one of a composition determination using the optical finder and a composition determination using the electronic finder is automatically selected. Thus, the workload of the photographer can be reduced when the photographer selects one of the optical finder and the electronic finder. -
FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of theimage pickup apparatus 1A. More specifically,FIG. 5 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using the optical finder.FIG. 6 illustrates an operation of determining a composition using the electronic finder. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , themirror mechanism 6 is located in an optical path (photo-taking optical path) extending from the photo-takinglens unit 3 to theimage sensor 5. Themirror mechanism 6 includes the main mirror 61 (a primary reflecting surface) that reflects light traveling from the photo-taking optical system upwards. For example, part or the entirety of themain mirror 61 is a half-mirror. Thus, themain mirror 61 allows part of the light traveling from the photo-taking optical system to pass therethrough. In addition, themirror mechanism 6 includes a sub-mirror 62 (a secondary reflecting surface) for reflecting light that has passed through themain mirror 61 downwards. The light reflected off the sub-mirror 62 downwards is led towards theAF module 20 and is made incident on theAF module 20. Thus, the light is used for an AF operation using a phase difference method. - In a shooting mode, the
mirror mechanism 6 is disposed so that themirror mechanism 6 is in a mirror down state until therelease button 11 enters the S2 state in which therelease button 11 is pressed fully down, that is, while a composition is decided upon (refer toFIGS. 5 and 6 ). At that time, a subject image traveling from the photo-takinglens unit 3 is reflected off themain mirror 61 upwards and is made incident on apentamirror 65 as an observation light ray. Thepentamirror 65 includes a plurality of mirrors (reflecting surfaces) so as to control the orientation of the subject image. After the observation light ray is made incident on thepentamirror 65, the direction of the observation light ray is determined depending on which one of the above-described two methods (i.e., an optical finder method and an electronic finder method) is selected for determining a composition. This is described in more detail below. - In contrast, when the
release button 11 enters the S2 state in which therelease button 11 is pressed fully down, themirror mechanism 6 is driven so as to enter a mirror up state. Thus, an exposure operation is started. The operation (i.e., the exposure operation) performed when a still image for recording (also referred to as an “image to be actually captured”) relating to the subject is captured is the same for the above-described two methods (i.e., an optical finder method and an electronic finder method). - Operations of determining a composition using the optical finder and the electronic finder are described next.
- The operation of determining a composition using the optical finder is described first.
- As shown in
FIG. 5 , when themain mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62 of themirror mechanism 6 are disposed in the light path of a subject image traveling from the photo-takinglens unit 3, the subject image is led to thefinder window 10 via themain mirror 61, thepentamirror 65, and aneyepiece lens 67. In such an optical finder, the observation light ray, which is a light ray traveling from the lens group (the photo-taking optical system) 37 and is reflected off the main mirror (the main reflecting surface) 61, can be led to thefinder window 10 using a finderoptical system 60. The finderoptical system 60 includes themain mirror 61, thepentamirror 65, and theeyepiece lens 67. - More specifically, the light traveling from the photo-taking
lens unit 3 is reflected off themain mirror 61 upwards. Thereafter, the light is focused on a focusingglass 63 and passes through the focusingglass 63. Subsequently, the direction of the light that has passed through the focusingglass 63 is further changed by thepentamirror 65 and passes through theeyepiece lens 67. The light then travels toward the finder window 10 (refer to a light path PA shown inFIG. 5 ). In this way, the subject image passes through thefinder window 10 and reaches the eye of the photographer (an observer). Thus, the photographer views the object image. That is, by viewing through thefinder window 10, the photographer can recognize the object image. - The
pentamirror 65 includes two mirrors (dach mirrors) 65 a and 65 b that form a delta shape, asurface 65 c fixed to the dach mirrors (dach surface) 65 a and 65 b, and a mirror (a reflecting surface) 65 e. The dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b are formed using plastic molding as anintegrated part 65 d having a delta shape. The light ray that is reflected off themain mirror 61 upward is reflected by the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b. Thus, the light ray is horizontally reversed. Thereafter, the light ray is reflected off themirror 65 e so as to be vertically reversed. Finally, the light ray reaches the eye of the photographer. In this way, the optical image that is horizontally and vertically reversed in the photo-takinglens unit 3 is further horizontally and vertically reversed by thepentamirror 65. As a result, the photographer can view the subject image having the horizontal and vertical orientations the same as those of the original subject. - The light ray that passed through the
main mirror 61 is reflected off the sub-mirror 62 downwards and enters theAF module 20. TheAF module 20 and thefocus control unit 121 perform an AF operation using the light ray traveling via themain mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62. - Operations of determining a composition using the electronic finder is described next.
- Like the above-described case, as shown in
FIG. 6 , themain mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62 of themirror mechanism 6 are disposed in the light path of a subject image traveling from the photo-takinglens unit 3. The light traveling from the photo-takinglens unit 3 is reflected off themain mirror 61 upwards, and is focused on the focusingglass 63, and then passes through the focusingglass 63. - However, in the operation of determining a composition using the electronic finder, the direction of the light ray that has passed through the focusing
glass 63 is further changed by thepentamirror 65. Thereafter, the light ray passes through an image forming lens 69 (an image forming optical system) and forms an image on an imaging surface of theimage sensor 7 again (refer to an light path PB shown inFIG. 6 ). The light ray reflected off themain mirror 61 travels upwards and is reflected by the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b. Thus, the light ray is horizontally reversed and continues to travel. Thereafter, the light ray is reflected off themirror 65 e so as to be vertically reversed. The light ray is then horizontally and vertically reversed by theimage forming lens 69. Finally, the light ray reaches theimage sensor 7. - More specifically, as can be seen from comparison with
FIG. 5 , the angle of themirror 65 e (with respect to the camera body 2) is changed, as shown inFIG. 6 . That is, from the position shown inFIG. 5 , themirror 65 e is rotated about an axis AX1 located at the lower end ofmirror 65 e in a direction indicated by an arrow AR1 at a predetermined angle α. In this case, themirror 65 e can be rotated about the axis AX1 by an actuator (e.g., a motor) (not shown). When the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A detects proximity of the eye to thefinder window 10, themirror 65 e is moved to a position Ta at which the upper end of themirror 65 e is in contact with the end of thesurface 65 c (refer toFIG. 5 ). In contrast, when the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A does not detect proximity of the eye to thefinder window 10, themirror 65 e is moved to a position Tb at which the upper end of themirror 65 e is separated from the end of thesurface 65 c by a predetermined distance (refer toFIG. 6 ). That is, Themirror 65 e has two positions and switches between the two positions: the position Ta (a first position) at which the light ray (the observation light ray) reflected off themain mirror 61 is reflected towards thefinder window 10, as shown inFIG. 5 , and the position Tb (a second position) at which the observation light ray is reflected towards theimage sensor 7, as shown inFIG. 6 . - As noted above, by changing the position of the
mirror 65e, the reflection angle of the light ray (the observation light ray) can be changed, and therefore, the traveling path of the light ray reflected off themirror 65 e can be changed. More specifically, as compared withFIG. 5 , an incident angle θ1 of the light ray on themirror 65 e is relatively small. Therefore, a reflection angle θ2 of the light ray on themirror 65 e is relatively small. As a result, the direction of the light ray reflected off themirror 65 e is changed upwards so that the light path towards theeyepiece lens 67 is changed to the light path towards the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b. Thus, the light ray passes through theimage forming lens 69 and reaches theimage sensor 7. Theimage forming lens 69 and theimage sensor 7 are disposed above theeyepiece lens 67 so as not to block the light ray traveling from themirror 65 e to theeyepiece lens 67. - The angle of the light ray reflected off the
mirror 65 e is changed to twice the changed angle α of themirror 65 e, that is, an angle β (=2×α). Conversely, only the angle α, which is a half of the angle β, is required for the rotation angle of themirror 65 e in order to change the traveling angle of the reflection light path to the angle β. That is, a relatively small rotation angle of themirror 65 e can relatively largely change the direction of the light ray reflected off themirror 65 e. In addition, themirror 65 e is disposed so as to be separated from theimage sensor 7 by a relatively large distance. Accordingly, by slightly changing the rotation angle of themirror 65 e, the two light rays reflected off themirror 65 e can be reliably led to theeyepiece lens 67 and theimage sensor 7 which are separated from each other. That is, by slightly changing the rotation angle of themirror 65 e, the light ray reflected off themirror 65 e can be selectively and reliably led to one of the two light paths. Accordingly, an increase in a space required for the rotation of themirror 65 e can be minimized. - The
image sensor 7 generates a live view on the basis of the subject image that is reflected by themirror 65 e, passes through theimage forming lens 69, and reaches theimage sensor 7. More specifically, theimage sensor 7 that receives the light ray (the observation light ray) reflected off themain mirror 61 sequentially generates a plurality of image signals at small intervals (e.g., 1/60 sec). The acquired time-series image signals are sequentially displayed on therear monitor 12 as a live view. Thus, the photographer can determine a composition while viewing the moving image (the live view image) displayed on therear monitor 12. - While the live view is displayed, light entering the
image sensor 7 through thefinder window 10 may degrade the quality of the subject image acquired by theimage sensor 7, since theimage sensor 7 is located in the vicinity of thefinder window 10. Accordingly, theimage pickup apparatus 1A includes the eyepiece shutter (shutter means) 16 between thefinder window 10 and theeyepiece lens 67. Theeyepiece shutter 16 can switch between a light blocking state in which external light entering theimage pickup apparatus 1A through thefinder window 10 is blocked and a non-blocking state in which the external light is not blocked. In this way, by letting theeyepiece shutter 16 enter a closed state Qb (refer toFIG. 6 ) while the live view is displayed (the electronic finder is in use), external light can be blocked from entering through thefinder window 10. - In this case, as in determining a composition using the optical finder (refer to
FIG. 5 ), an AF operation is performed using light made incident on theAF module 20 by themain mirror 61 and the sub-mirror 62. - As described above, the direction of an observation light ray reflected off the
mirror 65 e is switched between the light path PA (refer toFIG. 5 ) and the light path PB (refer toFIG. 6 ) by changing the reflection angle at themirror 65 e. The light path PA is directed from themirror 65 e to theeyepiece lens 67 and thefinder window 10, while the light path PB is directed from themirror 65 e to theimage forming lens 69 and theimage sensor 7. That is, by changing the reflection angle at themirror 65 e, the direction of an observation light ray can be switched between the first light path PA in which a light ray is reflected off themirror 65 e towards thefinder window 10 and the second light path PB in which a light ray is reflected off themirror 65 e towards theimage sensor 7. - In addition, in the
image pickup apparatus 1A, among the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b and themirror 65 e of thepentamirror 65, one of the reflecting surfaces (themirror 65 e) is moved so that the reflection angle is changed, whereas the other reflecting surfaces (dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b) are stationary. That is, by driving only themirror 65 e among the plurality of reflecting surfaces so that the direction of the observation light ray is changed, the number of driving mechanisms can be reduced, and therefore, a compact configuration can be achieved. Furthermore, in theimage pickup apparatus 1A, the reflection angle at themirror 65 e, which is a reflecting surface other than the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b among a plurality of reflecting surfaces included in thepentamirror 65 of the finderoptical system 60, is changed in order to change the direction of the observation light ray. Accordingly, the direction of the observation light ray can be easily changed, as compared with the case where the dach mirrors 65 a and 65 b are driven. - The
image pickup apparatus 1A having such a configuration determines that a photographer desires to determine a composition using the electronic finder if the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A does not detect proximity of the eye to thefinder window 10. At that time, theimage pickup apparatus 1A sets themirror 65 e to the position Tb shown inFIG. 6 to select the light path PB directed to theimage sensor 7. At the same time, theimage pickup apparatus 1A turns on the rear monitor 12 (a display mode) so that a live view is displayed on the basis of an image signal acquired from theimage sensor 7. In this case, if an external light ray enters the body of theimage pickup apparatus 1A through thefinder window 10, an exposure operation performed by the image sensor 7 (or the image sensor 5) may have a negative impact. Therefore, theimage pickup apparatus 1A causes theeyepiece shutter 16 to enter the closed state Qb (refer toFIG. 6 ) in order to block the external light ray from entering through thefinder window 10. - In contrast, the
image pickup apparatus 1A determines that a photographer desires to determine a composition using the optical finder if the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A detects proximity of the eye to thefinder window 10. At that time, theimage pickup apparatus 1A sets themirror 65 e to the position Ta shown inFIG. 5 to select the light path PA directed to thefinder window 10. In this case, theimage pickup apparatus 1A causes theeyepiece shutter 16, which is in the closed state Qb when proximity of the eye is not detected, to enter an open state Qa (refer toFIG. 5 ) in order to open the light path PA. In addition, theimage pickup apparatus 1A turns off the rear monitor 12 (a non-display mode) which is turned on when proximity of the eye is not detected. - The above-described operation performed by the
image pickup apparatus 1A when a composition is determined is described in more detail below. -
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by theimage pickup apparatus 1A and, in particular, an operation performed when a composition is determined. - When a photographer operates the
main switch 81 to power on theimage pickup apparatus 1A, the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A determines whether proximity of the eye is detected (step ST1). If proximity of the eye is detected, the process proceeds to step ST2. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step ST4. - In step ST2, the
image pickup apparatus 1A causes theeyepiece shutter 16 to enter the open state Qa shown inFIG. 5 . That is, theimage pickup apparatus 1A causes theeyepiece shutter 16 to enter a non-light blocking state so as to open the light path PA directed to thefinder window 10. Thus, theimage pickup apparatus 1A leads a subject optical image that passed through thelens group 37 to thefinder window 10. In the present exemplary embodiment, theglobal control unit 101A sends a drive control signal to the eyepieceshutter driving circuit 18. Upon receipt of the drive control signal, the eyepieceshutter driving circuit 18 opens theeyepiece shutter 16 using themotor 17. - Subsequently, the
image pickup apparatus 1A causes the mirror (reflecting surface) 65 e to move to the position (the first position) Ta shown inFIG. 5 so that the subject optical image is led from the photo-takinglens unit 3 to thefinder window 10. Thus, the photographer can check the subject image through thefinder window 10. - In step ST3, a live view display is turned off. That is, since the photographer determines a composition using the optical finder, the
rear monitor 12 that is not used by the photographer is turned off (a non-display mode). Thus, power consumption can be reduced. - In step ST4, the
image pickup apparatus 1A causes theeyepiece shutter 16 to enter the closed state Qb shown inFIG. 6 . That is, in order to block an external light ray from entering through thefinder window 10, theeyepiece shutter 16 enters a light blocking state. In the present exemplary embodiment, theglobal control unit 101A sends a drive control signal to the eyepieceshutter driving circuit 18. Upon receipt of the drive control signal, the eyepieceshutter driving circuit 18 closes theeyepiece shutter 16 using themotor 17. - Subsequently, the
image pickup apparatus 1A causes the mirror (reflecting surface) 65 e to move to the position (the second position) Tb shown inFIG. 6 so that the subject optical image is led from the photo-takinglens unit 3 to theimage sensor 7. - In step ST5, a live view display is turned on. That is, since the photographer desires to determine a composition using the electronic finder, the
rear monitor 12 is turned on (a display mode). Thus, a live view display (a preview display) is performed on the basis of image signals sequentially generated by theimage sensor 7. - In the above-described operation of the
image pickup apparatus 1A, when the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A detects proximity of the eye to thefinder window 10, theeyepiece shutter 16 is opened and therear monitor 12 is turned off. However, when the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A does not detect proximity of the eye to thefinder window 10, theeyepiece shutter 16 is closed in order to block an external light ray from entering through thefinder window 10, and therear monitor 12 is turned on in order to display a live view image. In this way, the workload of the photographer can be reduced in switching between the optical finder and the electronic finder, and power consumption can be appropriately reduced. In addition, an external light ray can be reliably blocked from entering through thefinder window 10. - According to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an
image pickup apparatus 1B has a configuration similar to theimage pickup apparatus 1A shown inFIGS. 1 , 2, and 4. However, the configurations of an eye proximity detecting unit, a rear monitor, and a global control unit are different from those of theimage pickup apparatus 1A. An eyeproximity detecting unit 15B, arear monitor 12B, and aglobal control unit 101B of theimage pickup apparatus 1B, which are different from those of theimage pickup apparatus 1A, are sequentially described below. - In the eye
proximity detecting unit 15B, alight detecting sensor 152 can detect the amount of light in the vicinity of the light detecting sensor 152 (around the finder window 10) in addition to the amount of light required for detecting proximity of the eye. - The
rear monitor 12B includes a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display. That is, therear monitor 12B can be used as a reflective liquid crystal display that displays an image using reflection of external light as a light source with a backlight turned off. Alternatively, therear monitor 12B can be used as a transmissive liquid crystal display that turns on a backlight serving as a light source and displays an image using illumination of the backlight from the rear. - When an amount of light detected by the
light detecting sensor 152 of the eyeproximity detecting unit 15B is greater than a predetermined threshold value (a predetermined amount of light) Lm, and therefore, the surrounding area is bright, therear monitor 12B is switched to a reflective liquid crystal display, and the backlight is turned off. Thus, power consumption can be reduced. - The
global control unit 101B stores, in a ROM, a program for performing the operation of theimage pickup apparatus 1B described below. -
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a basic operation performed by theimage pickup apparatus 1B and, in particular, an operation performed when a composition is determined. - The processes performed in steps ST11 to ST15 are similar to those in steps ST1 to ST5 of the flow chart shown in
FIG. 7 . - In step ST16, it is determined whether an amount of light in the surrounding area detected by the
light detecting sensor 152 of the eyeproximity detecting unit 15B is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold value Lm. That is, it is determined whether the surrounding area of theimage pickup apparatus 1B (on the rear side of theimage pickup apparatus 1B) is bright or dark. If the amount of light in the surrounding area is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold value Lm, and therefore, the surrounding area is bright, the process proceeds to step ST17. However, if the amount of light in the surrounding area is lower than the predetermined threshold value Lm, and therefore, the surrounding area is dark, the process proceeds to step ST19. - In steps ST17 and ST18, the
rear monitor 12B is switched to the reflective liquid crystal display, and the backlight of therear monitor 12B is turned off. - In steps ST19 and ST20, the
rear monitor 12B is switched to the transmissive liquid crystal display, and the backlight of therear monitor 12B is turned on. - The above-described operation performed by the
image pickup apparatus 1B provides an advantage that is the same as that of the first exemplary embodiment. In addition, when theimage pickup apparatus 1B displays a live view image and an amount of light in the surrounding area detected by thelight detecting sensor 152 of the eyeproximity detecting unit 15B is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold value Lm (in a bright condition), therear monitor 12B is switched to the reflective liquid crystal display, and the backlight of therear monitor 12B is turned off. However, when an amount of light in the surrounding area detected by thelight detecting sensor 152 of the eyeproximity detecting unit 15B is lower than the predetermined threshold value Lm (in a dark condition), therear monitor 12B is switched to the transmissive liquid crystal display, and the backlight of therear monitor 12B is turned on. Therefore, power consumption is optimally reduced. - The eyepiece shutters of the foregoing exemplary embodiments are not limited to mechanically open and closed shutters as shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6 . For example, a liquid crystal shutter having the following configuration may be employed. -
FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary configuration of aneyepiece shutter 16A of a modification of the present invention. - The
eyepiece shutter 16A is a liquid crystal shutter. In theeyepiece shutter 16A, aliquid crystal 163 is confined between twoglass pieces deflection plate 164 is disposed on theglass piece 162. - For the
eyepiece shutter 16A having such a configuration of a liquid crystal shutter, when the eyeproximity detecting unit 15A (or 15B) detects the eye is not in proximity to the finder window, theeyepiece shutter 16A is closed. Thus, external light entering through thefinder window 10 can be blocked. - While the foregoing exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to the eyepiece shutter disposed inside the
finder window 10, as shown inFIG. 6 , the eyepiece shutter may be disposed, for example, outside thefinder window 10. - It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
Claims (4)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2007005958A JP2008170872A (en) | 2007-01-15 | 2007-01-15 | Imaging apparatus |
JPP2007-005958 | 2007-01-15 | ||
JP2007-005958 | 2007-01-15 |
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US20080170150A1 true US20080170150A1 (en) | 2008-07-17 |
US7907201B2 US7907201B2 (en) | 2011-03-15 |
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US11/967,571 Expired - Fee Related US7907201B2 (en) | 2007-01-15 | 2007-12-31 | Image pickup apparatus including an optical finder and an electronic finder |
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JP (1) | JP2008170872A (en) |
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US20210006723A1 (en) * | 2019-07-03 | 2021-01-07 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Display control apparatus and control method thereof |
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CN104090451B (en) * | 2014-07-28 | 2016-08-10 | 王佐良 | Single-lens reflex camera external connected electronic view finder |
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Effective date: 20190315 |